In June 2016, the City of Lancaster in the state of Pennsylvania, USA, was one of 23 recipients (1 health department, 11 cities, 9 counties, and 2 states) representing 15 states that received funding from HUD to remediate homes: a total of $52.6 million was disbursed. Through this study, approved by the Institutional Review Board of Franklin and Marshall College, we aimed to understand the factors that contributed to the initial slow uptake of the HUD LHC grant awarded to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, for residential lead remediation. This information will provide insight into how health messaging and advertisements for future lead remediation funding can truly reduce the burden of lead poisoning. In doing so, we ascertained how and when individuals obtained information and whether their knowledge increased their willingness to abate their homes of lead paint. Our main goal was to analyze parents’ sources of information about lead, concerns about lead exposure, and personal experiences with lead poisoning. This study aimed to investigate caregivers’ knowledge levels of lead poisoning, the factors that influence those levels, and reasons for the initially slow uptake of the HUD funding. In the presence of these factors, a cue to action and self-efficacy are required for beneficial behavioral change. The health belief model outlines that for individuals to act on a health concern, they must have a perceived susceptibility and severity, as well as a sense of perceived benefits. This grant provided funding to support lead paint remediation efforts in low-income homes in which a child under the age of six resided, or visited for more than six hours a week.ĭespite the acquisition of HUD LHC funds, rates of lead poisoning remain high and uptake of HUD grant funds remains slow. In 2016, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded Lancaster County a $1.33 million Lead Hazard Control (LHC) grant. Limited funding in relation to the number of homes with lead-based paint is often a key challenge in performing lead remediation work. In Lancaster, only 9.89% of children under the age of six years received a blood lead test in 2017. In addition to lead paint, low testing rates in Lancaster contribute to untreated lead poisoning. For this reason, attempts to mitigate childhood blood lead levels in Lancaster County are often focused toward lead paint remediation in older homes. Lead-based paint was banned in the United States in 1978 in Lancaster County, 27% and 59% of homes were built before 19, respectively. In 2018, Lancaster County had a significantly higher rate of childhood lead poisoning compared to the state of Pennsylvania (6.80% vs.
![nvivo 12 boston univeristy nvivo 12 boston univeristy](https://londoninstitutesd.co.uk/storage/2019/05/Boston-12.jpg)
![nvivo 12 boston univeristy nvivo 12 boston univeristy](https://assets.onthehub.com/attachments/9/15615b2d-572c-e811-8101-000d3af41938/67705081-3656-4085-820e-6ec150b29184.png)
While lead poisoning is both a national and global concern, Lancaster County, in the state of Pennsylvania, USA, provides a notable case study for this issue. Disparities in childhood lead poisoning illustrate the inequities that persist in society, as lead poisoning disproportionately affects low-income, minority, and refugee communities. Elevated blood lead levels have been associated with lower educational attainment, antisocial behavior, and higher hyperactivity scores in children. Childhood lead exposure has been linked to brain and nervous system damage, delayed growth and development, and learning and behavioral challenges. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not determined a safe blood lead level and recommends that children with blood lead levels greater than 5 µg/dL receive case management services. In 2014, the water contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan, brought the issue of lead poisoning to the attention of the mainstream media and into the minds of the public. Childhood lead poisoning is a pervasive issue in the United States, affecting the lives of approximately half a million children ages six and under.